I have already lamented my weakness over at Twitter a few weeks ago, when I confessed to buying a selection of RMS Beauty items and blamed it on Black Friday. In truth, I have been drooling over these items for months and months, always relegating them for one reason or another to the “not right now” list. It was a mistake on my part, at least for some of them, because they are, quite frankly, amazing.

RMS Beauty, one of the better known niche green beauty brands, has a handful of items in their product catalog. Some of the more famous and well-loved ones are the Living Luminizer ($38) and the “Un” Cover-Up ($36). They have a selection of color makeup items, some skin care and brushes, and most recently, a 6-free nail polish range.

I went the safe route, and argued for “value.” I reasoned that getting the Glowing Gift Set was probably the best choice since it had the aforementioned best-sellers as well as your choice of Eye Polish (a cream-based eyeshadow; $28) and Lip2Cheek (lip/cheek color; $36). And because I’m me, I couldn’t resist getting the Buriti Bronzer ($28), too.

This is going to be quite a longer review than I expected to make, but here goes.

At $120, the Glowing Gift Set saves you just $18, a little more if you sign up for their newsletter (15% off your first purchase) or if you wait for a (kinda) major sale, like I did. Right off the bat, let me tell you that I loved two items from this set and am ambivalent towards the other two. I also think that it’s safe to guess which ones made my heart kinda swoon, to be honest.

First: the ones I loved.

Favorite #1: “Un” Cover-Up in 22

22 is the best-selling shade of the RMS “Un” Cover-Up, a yellow-based shade suited for “light-medium” complexions. I nearly opted for 33, but since I have had a history of over-estimating just how deep my skintone is, I went with the safest option. It’s easier to deal with too-light coverage than too-dark, I think.

Anyway, the “Un” Cover-Up is “lightweight and hydrating,” and is meant to enhance your skin and make it look better, not ~cover it up~ with pigment. (Get it?) It’s a good moisturizer, but doesn’t make you look slick or oily, and it does have pretty impressive coverage for something so lightweight. In other words, the “Un” Cover-Up is pure magic in a pot. Living in this humidity, this still works better with some type of primer, since I noticed it wore off as the day progressed.

Favorite #2: Living Luminizer

HOLY. I don’t even know. I can’t forgive myself for waiting so long, but also I suppose there were lessons to be learned there about making wise choices and like, delayed gratification or something. The Living Luminizer is amazing. I’m very rarely impressed by highlighters, mainly because I don’t think my face shape is quite er, welcoming, if that makes sense. This is glorious stuff, possibly made out of angels, IDK.

The only thing I hate about it is their copy on the website (‘sensual’ was used like 3 times too many), but other than that. I am so in awe and like, in love with it, I think.

OK #1: Lip2Cheek in Smile

I decided to go out of my comfort zone and pick a coral-y shade after a little bit of research. I saw Smile on Shannon and even though we are decidedly not similar, physically, it seemed like a beautiful everyday color. This is a great cheek product, but is very (frankly) gross-looking on the lips if you don’t prep them. Which, to be honest, kinda defeats the purpose for me, as the Lip2Cheek should feel as effortless as the other items they are selling. In any case, it’s a beautiful cheek color, so I’m quite happy about that. I just don’t think it’s particularly hydrating on the lips is all. Good pigmentation, though.

(Alternately, they also have the Lip Shine, which isn’t really up my alley in terms of lip products that I tend to like, but it might be a better choice for you.)

OK #2: Eye Polish in Seduce

I was initially drawn to Magnetic, which is a taupe/silver with a hint of mauve, but I knew I was going to get more wear out of (aka get sick of slower) Seduce, which is a “sensuous dirty brown that can double as a contour.”

I’m a little skeptical of most cream eyeshadows unless they’re tried and tested, personally, like MAC Paint Pots, but I kept reading about how the RMS Eye Polish “doesn’t budge” or crease or whatever. Anyway, these didn’t work out quite all that well for me. The product on my eyes remained wet-looking and didn’t really set, and kind of disappeared as the day wore on. Granted, this is without an eye primer, so I should have probably seen it coming. However, MAC Paint Pots are also cream shadows/bases, and they hold up pretty well without any fussing.

Swatches

Here are some swatches. First, straight outta compton the pot, then blended, then tilted to the side to show you the luminosity of the Living Luminizer. Here goes:

Swatched, L-R: RMS Living Luminizer, RMS Lip2Cheek (Smile), RMS Eye Polish (Seduce), RMS Buriti Bronzer

(Blended) Swatched, L-R: RMS Living Luminizer, RMS Lip2Cheek (Smile), RMS Eye Polish (Seduce), RMS Buriti Bronzer

Swatched, L-R: RMS Living Luminizer, RMS Lip2Cheek (Smile), RMS Eye Polish (Seduce), RMS Buriti Bronzer

The packaging of these RMS products are so cute: tiny frosted glass pots with a metal-type cap. The design is simple and functional with no unnecessary frills. I dig it, but you might not if you are a germophobe.

The Buriti Bronzer

And then, here be the bronzer. The Buriti Bronzer is also a bestseller, but it’s not something I hear as much as I hear about the other two I’ve mentioned. The Buriti Bronzer also happens to be a favorite purchase, personally. It’s so amazing. I was honestly blown away, I hate it.

The aim of this bronzer, it seems, is to really warm up the face and create a sun-kissed look that’s not orange or pink or grey. If I’m not mistaken, the pigmentation used comes from Buriti oil, which is harvested from a type of Brazilian nut.

Again, the swatches, just to remind you what the Buriti Bronzer looks like next to the Eye Polish in Seduce, since RMS has claimed the latter can be used as a contour shade.

Swatched, L-R: RMS Living Luminizer, RMS Lip2Cheek (Smile), RMS Eye Polish (Seduce), RMS Buriti Bronzer

(Blended) Swatched, L-R: RMS Living Luminizer, RMS Lip2Cheek (Smile), RMS Eye Polish (Seduce), RMS Buriti Bronzer

You can definitely see the cooler, greyer, more shadow-like tones in Seduce. In any case, I’m kind of in love with both colors anyway.

Here’s everything I bought on my face. I also used a very sheer tinted base and translucent powder on my face.

And then, here’s one with pretty dramatic lighting, just to show you how stunning the Living Luminizer is, when the light hits it just right.

Anyway, I really love RMS Beauty, but since it’s a pretty small brand, I think I’m all shopped out. One thing I don’t really like about it is that it really smells strongly of coconut, which I’m not exactly a fan of. I think that’s a pretty small con, though, and would recommend the three products I raved about in this post.

* Items marked with an asterisk are PR Samples.

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